Carry Permit Holder Stops Robbery

A social media-based robbery attempt was thwarted by an armed victim Tuesday night in the parking lot of a Tyler, Texas, Family Dollar store.

The two victims reported that they had arranged to meet the purported seller of a dog that was for sale on social media. Upon arrival, they were met by an individual who led them around the back of the store to complete the transaction, only to be ambushed by several more men. The suspects demanded they lay on the ground and allegedly pointed a handgun at the victims.

That’s when the social media setup went awry for the robbers. One of the victims, a permitted gun owner, drew his weapon and pointed it at the would-be thieves, prompting them to flee the scene. Unharmed, the victims then went inside the store and asked employees to call the police.

A Call For Gun Control, Whether It Works Or Not

See if you can keep up: Canadian Malcolm Gladwell, a best-selling author and New Yorker writer, participated in a recent podcast for the magazine that delved into the issue of school shootings. Gladwell remarked, “Those who say that you can solve this problem with gun control are engaging in a fantasy.”

It’s a position he has taken before, as Gladwell noted in a Reddit Ask Me Anything session last October that “we could crack down on guns and still have a Columbine.”

As the podcast continued, Gladwell stated that he thought people were just looking for an easy solution. But in an abrupt about-face—and much to the interviewer’s relief—he remembered to insert this vital reminder: “This should in no way undermine the importance of gun control.”

In other words, gun control won’t work, so let’s keep pushing for more gun control. Spoken like a true New Yorker.

Idaho Senate Approves “Permitless” Carry Measure

The Idaho Senate on Wednesday approved an NRA-endorsed measure deregulating concealed carry of firearms by law-abiding residents of that state.

Senate Bill 1389 was approved by a 27-8 vote. According to NRA-ILA, the measure would recognize a law-abiding adult’s unconditional right to keep and bear arms for self-defense in the manner he or she chooses. SB 1389 recognizes that self-defense situations are difficult, if not impossible, to anticipate. Accordingly, a law-abiding adult’s right to defend himself or herself in such situations should not be conditioned by government-mandated time delays and taxes.

It is already lawful to open carry a firearm in the state of Idaho without government-mandated permitting and taxes. Idahoans should not be penalized for the method they feel most comfortable defending themselves.

Use Your Power!

Idaho gun owners should contact their state representatives and voice their support for SB 1389here.

Now that Congress has blocked the CDC from squandering your taxes on bogus anti-gun propaganda passed off as “research,” California lawmakers are pushing legislation to establish a research center at a California university—funded by the state, but national in scope—to study “gun violence.”

Introduced by Democratic Sen. Lois Wolk and backed by 15 other California Democrats, including “gun ghostbuster” Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León, SB 1006 was passed by the Senate Education Committee Wednesday by a 7-2 vote.

Madison, Wisc., Public Transit Gun Ban May Be Headed To The State Supreme Court

A battle over carry on some Wisconsin buses may soon be heard by the highest court in the state. Currently, a policy instituted by the Madison Transit and Parking Commission prohibits firearms on all Madison city buses. In 2014, the group Wisconsin Carry filed a lawsuit claiming the ban violates Wisconsin’s firearms pre-emption law, which states that city governments may not enact resolutions or ordinances that are more stringent than existing state law.

The ruling in August by the 4th District Court of Appeals, which upheld the ban, centered around semantics: In the court’s eyes, Madison’s ban was a “rule,” or policy, rather than an official ordinance/resolution.

The plaintiffs have now appealed the ruling to the state Supreme Court, and Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel recently filed a brief with the court challenging the appeals court’s ruling.

Firearm Checks Soaring In States With Lowest Gun Ownership

According to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), interest in guns is surging in states with historically low numbers of gun owners. The FBI reported a sizable increase of processed checks in Rhode Island, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, even Delaware—five states recently identified as having the lowest rates of firearms ownership.

In Delaware, the state with the lowest ownership rate, more than 10,000 background checks were processed in the first two months of 2016 alone. As for New York, more than 34,000 federal background checks were processed in both January and February of this year, which amounts to an increase of 29 and 32 percent respectively. In addition, December of last year saw all five states set a record for checks.

Maryland, a state listed as one of the least dependent on the firearms industry, has also seen significant increases in federal checks for firearm transfers.